What Is The "Shine" Of Lean Manufacturing 5S?

By Michael Baker

OK, if you are on the "shine" section of your 5S implementation, then you have already covered the sort and set steps. You should at this point already have a place designated for all of the correct tools and equipment you need for the work space. You should also have a red tag area where the other equipment you are not using right now, or may not need, is located. So back to the "shine" section. What exactly is it?

This is very straight forward: Keep Your Area Clean. This means when you are done using tools, clean them off and place them back where they go.

If you are done working at a certain work station, then clean the area when you are done and place everything back in its appropriate place.

There is nothing worse than going into someone's work space to help out and it is a mess. They have stuff lying all around and the entire place is just plain old cluttered. It is very hard to work in an environment like this. So, don't let your get like this.

The other part is to assign certain people daily activities to ensure this is done. Once people are given ownership of something, they seem to take more pride in it. If someone is responsible for the ensuring the tools are placed back on the peg board and the tools are clean, you can bet they will find the people who are not doing it, and ensure they start doing it.

You should think of your work space like your house, or better yet, someone else's house. You don't make a mess in someone else's house and just leave it. You clean up after yourself, and leave it the way you found it. Or, at least I hope you do. Your work space should be no different.

Just by getting the area clean, and by assigning people to cleaning stations, you will have a dramatic impact on the cleanliness of the area. People will be happier and less stressful at work, as they no know where everything goes, and are working in a clean environment. And that, my friend, is what the "shine" of lean manufacturing 5S is.

Lean Manufacturing Secrets goes into detail about the different techniques and philosophies to implement a lean manufacturing 5S initiative.

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